Professor Kristen Smith selected as Special Collections Libraries Faculty Fellow

Kristen Smith, AdPR senior public
relations lecturer and Special
Collections Libraries
Faculty Fellow

ADPR’s own senior public relations lecturer, Kristen Smith, has been selected to serve as a Special Collections Libraries 2015-2016 Faculty Fellow, a new faculty development opportunity created by the Center for Teaching and Learning and The University of Georgia Libraries.

The program provides faculty with instructional support and a $2000 stipend to create new a new course, or redesign an existing one, that is centered around the collections and resources available in UGA’s three special collections libraries: Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, and the Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection.  

“I’m excited that my students will be able to use archival materials to study design history and persuasive communication, and I’m excited to learn more about the archives and to represent Grady College,” said Prof. Smith.

The Faculty Fellow program began yesterday, with a retreat that highlighted the goals and key components of “archives-centered learning.” Professor Smith and the fellows will meet monthly as a cohort for round table discussions, workshops and outside speakers. The Special Collections Libraries will also host a Maymester Institute to focus on course planning, design and development for the 2016 fall semester.

According to the Center for Teaching and Learning,”The Special Collections Libraries Faculty Fellows program provides a workshop to build wonderful, engaging, and exciting archives-centered faculty development experience in a convivial and collaborative environment that values experimentation and reflection.”

AdPR student's poster is chosen to promote local market

Abbie Brans

Abbie Brans, an advertising major in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, designed a poster that was selected to promote a farmers market in Athens that provides fresh, affordable produce and economic development opportunities for the community.

The West Broad Farmers Market, which operates under the Athens Land Trust, is located in the Athens Hancock Corridor.  

“The purpose of the market is to provide the surrounding community, as well as greater Athens, with a source of local produce, prepared foods and crafts, and also to empower low-income residents to take economic control of their lives through entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices,” said Kaela Horne, the market manager.

Horne contacted Kristen Smith, a senior lecturer in the Grady College, to see if her graphic communication students could design the poster. 

“We were about to start a poster project, so this was great timing for us,” said Smith. “I let students know about this opportunity, and 10 students took the challenge. I’m happy for Abbie that her poster was chosen and that her work will be seen all around Athens.”

The West Broad Farmers Market will use Brans’s design on other materials that promote the market. Brans will be credited as a sponsor of the market. 

The West Broad Farmers Market is held Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., from May 2 - December 12, at the Old West Broad School, 1573 W. Broad Street in Athens.

AdPR lecturer Kristen Smith promoted to Senior Lecturer

AdPR lecturer Kristen Smith

Congratulations to Kristen Smith from the Department of Advertising and Public Relations for her promotion to Senior Lecturer!

Smith teaches a number of classes such as Graphic Communication, Advanced Graphic Communication and Public Relations Communication. She serves as the faculty adviser to Creative Consultants, the student-run public relations agency affiliated with UGA PRSSA.

"Teaching in the Grady College is a great honor and is incredibly satisfying to me.” says Smith.

“I enjoy sharing what I know and encouraging our students. And, of course, I learn from them, too. Being promoted is a vote of confidence, and I'm grateful for it."

AdPR Alumni Spotlight: Kristin Ballard

Kristin Ballard (ABJ '10) was a public relations major. 

Kristin Ballard

What are you doing now and how did you get there? I am an Account Executive at Brandware Public Relations in Atlanta. I came to Brandware in summer 2010 after completing an internship on the consumer brands team at Fleishman Hillard Atlanta.

Brandware PR is a boutique agency that specializes in media relations and marketing communications for enthusiast brands. Since I started at Brandware, my focus has always been on our consumer accounts (Vespa, Piaggio, Porsche Cars North America, Penguin Brand Dry Ice, etc.).

However, since September 2011, I’ve been an “embedded employee” at Porsche, where I work on internal communications and media relations projects. Although I’m still a Brandware employee, I now spend all of my time on the Porsche account.

What is your day-to-day like at your job? (Any interesting projects that you can share with us?)

The best (and sometimes worst) thing about PR is that you never know what your day will be like. At Porsche, I help with everything from running our corporate intranet to pitching news stories to creating executive presentations and speeches.

On a typical day, I can be doing anything from brainstorming and writing content for our employee communications channels to planning one of our VIP events in Birmingham (we have a driving school at Barber Motorsports Park) or scheduling press loans of our vehicles. My days are just like my classes were -- full of the entire range of public relations while focusing on how to use tactics to enable our communication strategy. It’s exciting and definitely keeps me on my toes!

One cool project my team is working on right now: the media launch of the brand new Porsche Cayenne Diesel —in Alaska! We’re inviting three waves of 20 journalists to come experience the first Diesel offered by Porsche in the U.S. From a strategic standpoint, this sneak peek will offer journalists the opportunity to understand the car and the clean Diesel technology before the model goes to market. It will set the stage for a successful launch at the dealer level.

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in your career today?

Everything! No, seriously. I was fortunate to be selected as a member of the 2010 Bateman Case Study Competition Team, led under the direction of Dr. Kaye Sweetser, which was the paramount experience in my college career. Writing projects take on a whole new meaning when you have a REAL client (and that client is the U.S. government, no less!). That’s why Grady students should take their Campaigns class very seriously. You never know who might be hiring down the road (I guarantee the client will remember those stand-out students!).

Also, Dr. Karen Russell, Dr. Tom Reichert and Ms. Kristen Smith were all a great resource during my years in Grady. They were so helpful when we were preparing our presentation for the Bateman Finals, and taught me a lot about professionalism and public speaking. The Grady classes were meaningful, of course, but I believe it’s the professors who make a world of difference in their students’ lives.

Make friends with your professors. Enjoy your classes. Take any experience you can get — paid or unpaid ... Be persistent, but not pushy. Always keep learning!

What is your favorite Grady memory?

Without a doubt-- representing Grady at the Bateman Case Study Competition and subsequently winning a PRSA Silver Anvil Award for our campaign. All along the way, we met so many students, government officials and PR professionals from all over the country, and to represent UGA was a true honor.

The opportunity to test the mettle of our entire PR education up to that point was a fantastic boost in confidence, but to then have that campaign win on the national level and be recognized among professionals for its excellence made all the hard work worth it.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

Make friends with your professors. Enjoy your classes. Take any experience you can get — paid or unpaid. Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. Keep in touch with everyone with whom you’ve ever worked; don’t burn bridges. Always send hand-written thank you notes after an interview. Be persistent, but not pushy. Always keep learning!

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Bryan Reber

What led you to become a professor at Grady?

I was led to become a professor at Grady because of the PR program's super reputation. While I was in graduate school I read the published scholarship of all the people who are now my colleagues -- Acosta-Alzuru, Freimuth, Lariscy, Russell, Sallot, and Springston. I never really dreamed that I'd ever be part of such a superb faculty. And it's only improved since I arrived with the addition of Sweetser. The non-research faculty are equally impressive. Dr. Jones and Kristen Smith are just super colleagues. When I visited for my job interview, I also learned that the ADPR faculty likes and supports each other. We're colleagues and friends. I feel really lucky to be here. Also, I have to admit, Athens as a place to live was a real draw.

What do you teach?

Right now I'm teaching introduction to public relations, primarily. I also teach PR writing and administration. On the graduate level, I teach PR management and have taught public opinion.

What is the focus of your research?

Public relations. Anything in the public relations realm is fair game for me. Research areas that I do more work in are: power and influence in public relations, contingency theory, corporate public relations -- especially CSR, crisis management, public relations in activism, and use of public relations online.

What is your relationship with your students (undergraduate and graduate)?

I like teaching. I believe my relationships are probably stronger with graduate students than with undergrads just because of the nature of the interaction. When I work on research projects with grad students, I spend a lot of time thinking, planning, and writing with them so I feel more connected. I really enjoy teaching undergrads -- especially in smaller classes like writing or administration -- but I don't feel like I get to know them in the same way.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like eating out at Athens' great restaurants and listening to Athens music -- classical, bluegrass, folk, indie rock. I like working in the yard, cooking, traveling, reading, watching TV and movies, and hanging out with friends

What advice do you give to your students?

Public relations is a great field. There are so many opportunities. While you're in school, explore as many aspects of PR as you can through volunteering or internships or just networking with professionals. Those activities will help you know what direction you want to follow when you graduate. Work hard on being a strong writer. Exercise your strategic thinking. Grady PR graduates are in high demand because they are so smart and well prepared. You're in an exciting profession.